The Milwaukee daily newspaper had a recent article about the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee, which was founded in 1934 by such notables in the hobby as Al Kalmbach and Bill Walthers.
"In The World of Model Trains, Time Stops Dead In Its Tracks" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 17, 2005
Something else which is pretty unique in the history of this club (but not mentioned in the brief article): The Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee organized a national convention on Labor Day 1935 as an attempt to define standards for the interchange of equipment between layouts. This convention became the foundation of the National Model Railroad Association.