Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in northeastern Illinois occupies the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant and was established in 1996 as the first national tallgrass prairie designated in the United States and the only federal tallgrass prairie preserve east of the Mississippi River. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, it was created to restore native habitats, support research and education, allow limited agriculture for a time, and provide compatible recreation. The preserve also includes evidence of a pre-European-contact Oneota village. Now covering about 20,000 acres, Midewin anchors a larger conservation landscape and represents the transformation of a former military-industrial site into a major prairie restoration area.