Greeley County is a county located in western Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,247, which makes it the least populous county in Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Tribune. The county is named after Horace Greeley of Chappaqua, New York, editor of the New York Tribune. Greeley encouraged western settlement with the motto "Go West, young man".HistoryEarly historyFor many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.