North Dakota and South Dakota (the Dakotas) are not normally thought of as geothermal states, but direct uses of geothermal energy have existed for centuries. Today, the documented direct uses of geothermal waters are limited to South Dakota and are related to space and district heating, spas and resorts, and aquaculture. There are also many undocumented individual uses by ranchers, particularly in the winter months for space heating, stock watering, and snow melting. In addition to geothermal direct uses, numerous applications of geothermal heat pumps exist in the Dakotas. Further, the University of North Dakota is currently conducting research on the feasibility of electrical power generation from co‐produced fluids (petroleum and hot water) from the deep petroleum wells in the Williston Basin – a deep sedimentary basin extending through western North and South Dakota, eastern Montana, and southern Saskatchewan known for its rich deposits of petroleum