In the 1800s the prairie extended from north to south of the United States, encompassing the states of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas (half only), Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missourie, and South Dakota. It was divided into three types of prairie or grasslands: the Shortgrass prairie, the Mixed prairie (in the middle) and the Tallgrass prairie, in states like Iowa, Illinois and Missourie.