Midland, South Dakota, population 250 has a geothermal district heating system unreported in the literature. The system exists due to a joint venture between the school district and the city back in the early 1960s. The project was essential since the city needed a source of domestic water and the school district needed to reduce their heating costs. With the help from faculty from the South Dakota School of Mines, the support and encouragement of the mayor, Jerry Nemec, and the perseverance of city utilities operator, Ruben Vollmer, the system was constructed piece by piece, often by trial and error