Monkey Island is an unincorporated peninsula community in Delaware County, Oklahoma, set on the shores of Grand Lake o' the Cherokees in the state's northeast corner. The peninsula owes its existence to the Pensacola Dam: when the dam was completed in 1940 and Grand Lake formed, the surrounding ridges became shoreline, and Monkey Island emerged as a finger of land extending into the new reservoir. Its memorable name dates to a 1938 Tulsa World interview, when a local resident jokingly gestured at the soon-to-be-island and said it would be the place "where the monkeys will be kept." The name appeared in print and stuck. Today Monkey Island is best known as one of Grand Lake's premier resort and recreation destinations, anchored by Shangri-La Resort at the peninsula's tip. The resort offers a championship golf course, a 119-room hotel, a full-service marina, a spa, and an activity park with tennis, pickleball, and family amenities. Around it, lakefront homes, condominiums, and vacation properties line the shore, and the Grand Lake Regional Airport serves private aviation for the area. Grand Lake o' the Cherokees covers about 46,500 acres and is among Oklahoma's most popular lakes for boating and fishing, supporting largemouth and spotted bass, crappie, catfish, walleye, and one of the largest paddlefish populations in the United States. Students in the area attend Afton Public Schools, and the town of Grove — the lake's principal gateway, with a year-round population of roughly 7,000 — lies just to the northeast, providing shopping, dining, and services. For those drawn to lakefront living and resort amenities, Monkey Island offers a distinctive address in the heart of Oklahoma's Grand Lake country.